


Ones and Zeroes

by anarchytissues



Category: The Lorax (2012)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-17
Updated: 2020-12-17
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:40:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28126251
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anarchytissues/pseuds/anarchytissues
Summary: The Once-ler is reunited with an old friend during an almost unsuccessful pitch for the thneed.Written in 2015.
Relationships: The Once-ler (The Lorax)/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 4





	Ones and Zeroes

**Author's Note:**

> an oc i had an embarrassingly huge amount of stuff planned for but shit just never panned out. i'd like to one day actually write the story (nearly everything was planned out) but welp.

“Everybody needs a thneed~. It's a fine thing that all people need~...”  
  
That was a voice that Cipher did not expect to hear all the way in Greenville. It couldn't be him, it had to be a coincidence. That light baritone that sounded more like he was just speaking along with the strumming of a guitar.  
  
There was no way that he was here.  
  
Cipher slowed to a stop before shuffling her feet in her rubber boots and adjusted the shoulder strap of her bag; the action making the large paper bag tucked in her arm crinkle. Sighing, hazel eyes closed themselves as she tried to ignore the growing sound of a crowd roaring in laughter and many disgusting splattering sounds.  
  
“H-hey!!!”  
  
There was that voice again.  
  
Finally, she glanced in the direction of the voice had come from.  
  
There he was.  
  
The man that had plagued her thoughts; filling them with images of sky blue eyes that glimmered like the stars once the owner had a brink of inspiration, night coloured hair that was honestly a bit too coarse for her liking but it had felt so right to run her fingers through and the sound of cheesy vaguely pop-rock songs written at 4 am because he was trying so hard to get the lyrics and sound _just_ right. And really, _really_ , _**really**_ tight pants.  
  
Oh, fuck her in the ass. It was Once getting pelted by tomatoes.  
  
Cipher huffed, rubber boots clunking under her as she shuffled towards the gazebo.  
  
“I'll buy one!”  
  
There was one tomato that was already in the process of flying through the air to hit the man in the face—and it had succeeded—despite the crowd going quiet. There was still a bit of murmuring and whispers of disbelief among some of the members of the crowd.  
  
The Onceler stood there in disbelief; blue eyes wide in surprise. He wasn't entirely sure if it was because he had actually managed to sell something after five days of trying or if it was because of who had bought it. He swallowed, eyes flickering from her shoes, body and finally the face and hair to make sure it was actually her.  
  
She coughed, her lips pursing together into a hard line as she gently swayed back and forth as she waited.  
  
“R-right! Of course!” He choked out, spidery fingers struggling to get the pink thneed around his neck off.  
  
The crowd had begun to disperse, seeing that the fun was over for the day—save for a few members that had stuck around to see if this woman was serious about buying this beanpole's piece of garbage. A park caretaker slowly began to get to work on clean up the overripe tomatoes and wilted vegetables that littered the park.  
  
Once the thneed was finally in his hands and not desperately clinging around his neck, Onceler held out the object for Cipher to take. He swallowed thickly and painfully, his eyes flickering towards the woman. “...Thanks.”  
  
She grinned in response, the grocery bag was now placed beside her feet so she could freely dig around in her purse to get the money for her new purchase. “It's no problem at all, _Oncie_.”  
  
His face had turned bright red at the mention of his stupid nickname that only his mother could ever call him.  
  
“D-don't call me that! You know how much I hate it!”  
  
There was a rather loud laugh accompanied with a slight snort, it had honestly startled Onceler every time he had heard it.  
  
“Sorry. I... couldn't really help it. But. Anyway, how much is your... sneed?”  
  
“Thneed.”  
  
“Thneed. Right. How much?”  
  
“Three ninety-eight.”  
  
Cipher nodded, her stubby fingers digging around to get the exact amount then sighing and handing him a five dollar bill. Hesitantly, she reached out for the thneed then blinked in surprise. She relished the touch of it as she finally took it out of his hands and brought it closer to her face; it had felt so soft, maybe even more than silk, and it vaguely reminded her of the feeling of an infant's hand. There was also a faint sweet smell that she couldn't quite place. Maybe it was something from her early days of childhood. It had filled her with a sense of nostalgia, her chest swelling as a pleasant tingling sensation spreading inside her body.  
  
“Hey...” She said, wrapping the thneed around her neck like it had been around Once's. “Do you have anywhere that you need to be?”  
  
The Onceler stammered, that blush from earlier still dusting his youthful features. “No. Not really—I mean, I should probably get back home and work on another thneed...”  
  
She grabbed his hand after picking up the groceries by her feet. He blinked in surprise, that faint blush growing into one almost as intense as earlier once she gave him a gentle squeeze.  
  
“Come with me. We should catch up.”  
  


* * *

  
  
The Onceler sat in the room alone; his long legs tucked in as closely as he could to himself while he stared at the glass coffee table in front of him. The sounds of a TV or radio in another room could be heard along with the clattering and clinking of dishes in the next room. His long fingers drummed on his knee, blue eyes darting around the room and taking in as much as he could once he had gotten tired of looking at the table. Numerous photos decorated the walls and picture frames were also cluttered together on the end tables, beside the TV on its stand, and shelves with dusty books that no one read.  
  
His eyes were drawn towards a rather large collage for a lack of a better word that hung on the wall next to the couch he sat on. While he didn't recognize many—if not almost all of—the people in the photos, he could easily pick out one despite how different it might look now.  
  
They both smiled the same way; eyes crinkling up until they looked completely shut and their lips stretched wide and proudly showing slightly crooked teeth.  
  
“Sorry for the wait!” Cipher said, breaking Onceler out of his thoughts, while carrying a small tray with a mug, a glass of an orange-y liquid and a bag of marshmallows.  
  
The man watched her take a few wobbly steps to the coffee table, the objects on the tray shaking and clattering with every hesitant movement before she placed the tray onto the stable surface. A tanned hand tucked the loose hair behind her ear, groaning softly as she straightened herself. Her arms reached out towards the ceiling, fingers curling as she stretched herself out—her shirt lifting itself slightly and revealing a bit of tummy—before plopping herself into the beat up armchair across The Onceler.  
  
“Ah, I didn't know how many you wanted,” She said with a light laugh, pointing at the open bag of junk food on the table with her chin. “I mean... you eat so many...”  
  
He smiled at that; blue eyes softening as a lone marshmallow fell out of the bag and rolled towards the mug. Reaching out for the treat, his eye glittered and his smile brightening once he felt it squish between the pads of his spidery fingers.  
  
Cipher shifted forward in her seat, copying Oncie by reaching for something off the table. This time it was the already sweating glass of bubbling soda. Her fingers slipped alone the wet surface, creating a loud rubbery squeak to be heard. Her eyes squeezed shut and her lips pursed themselves tightly together in displeasure; her teeth had felt like they were rattling just from the noise alone.  
  
“So...” He began, fingers continuing to squish the marshmallow between his fingers before popping it into his mouth. A shiver of delight ran up his spine as it began to melt in his mouth before turning both sticky and slimy before he began to chew. He swallowed a bit before beginning to speak, though his words were slightly muffled by what was left of the treat. “Why are you in Greenville? Are you living here now?”  
  
“Oh. Uh, not really. Well... Maybe. Sorta.”  
  
“Sorta?”  
  
“I mean, I'm taking care of my Auntie Agnes' place while she's on a trip.”  
  
The Onceler nodded, now reaching out for the formerly steaming mug on the coffee table. He brought the cup to his lips before pausing, “How long are you here for then?” He asked before taking a sip of his drink—mentally he was praising the Gods that Cipher had remembered how he liked his hot chocolate; made with milk and not water and a marshmallow added as soon as it was poured into a cup so it could melt.  
  
“Ah. I dunno—I mean, I've been here almost three months.”  
  
He sputtered, the hot chocolate splashing so far up his face that it hit just above his eyebrows and the rest that was in his mouth dribbling down his chin and neck. “T-two months? Why so long?”  
  
“She goes on trips a lot and this time she's on some fancy cruise going places. It's that rich aunt that gave me a lot of money when I was a kid.”  
  
“If she's so rich, why doesn't she just hire a maid or something to look after the place when she's gone? Rather than dragging you from an entirely different state...”  
  
Cipher shrugged, giggling inwardly to herself before taking a sip of her own drink. Bubbles tickled her lips as the sweet taste of truffula fruit tickled her senses and as the sunset coloured liquid ran down her throat. “It's whatever really, I mean, she's paying me a lot for this. I could use the money for...”  
  
He listened to her absent mindlessly, humming in agreement as he took another drink—this time taking care to not spill any hot chocolate onto his shirt or pants or even get any anywhere but his mouth. Pale blue eyes watched her carefully, taking in as many details as he could. So much could change in almost a year, so how much did she change?  
  
Cipher still had her angled black hair pushed back with a headband, though it looked quite a bit longer than before—the shortest part of her hair brushed just above the top of her spine. She still wore flowers and floral designs and the colour pink like it was going to go out of style any moment. Her hazel eyes were still somewhat hidden behind a pair of rounded glasses with thick and dirty frames, though the circles around her eyes seemed a lot darker.  
  
“...What?” The woman asked, her lips curled into a small smile that still showed quite a bit of her slightly crooked teeth and her cheeks flushed a deep red.  
  
“Nothing. Well. You haven't changed much since I last saw you.”  
  
She blinked, her eyes flickering away from him before letting small chuckle. Her hand gently grabbing onto the longer part of her hair and tugging softly. “I mean... I got even fatter than before but... eh...” Her smile widened as she looked back at him. “You haven't changed either—like you're even wearing the same clothes.”  
  
Onceler pouted—pressing his lips together in a hard line to keep himself from laughing. Sucking in a deep shaky breath though his nose, he whipped his head toward Cipher, forcing himself to make a mock glare. “ _Well._ You try being on the road for over six months, _CiCi_. Kinda hard to keep up with the latest trends—“  
  
“ _Ohhhh my God, **Oncie**_. I didn't mean it like that.”  
  
“Uh huh, yeah. _Suuuur_ e.”  
  
“Honest!!! Though, now I know why you smell like a sneetch nest. For all I know... you probably didn't wash your dirty ass the entire time you were gone—“  
  
“ **OH**. Well. If we're being honest here; it's nice to know that you still dress like my Aunt Grizelda going to church.”  
  
Cipher let out a loud gasp; her hazel eyes were now as wide as the full moon and her mouth shaped just as round.  
  
A beat had passed before she snorted, signalling the upcoming thunderous laughter from her before he had joined in. A solid minute or two had passed before either of them had began to calm down; both of their faces were painted a bright red and their chests ached and throbbed as they slowly became silent.  
  
A pleasant humming could be felt inside Cipher's chest as she looked at Oncie once again; her face burning red for an entirely different reason now.  
  
“...H-hey... Um... I-I missed you a lot, y'know. I mean... I-I'm just sorry that—“  
  
“I-it's fine. I missed you too.” He said before beginning to stand up, his knees popping at the slow movement. “It was really great seeing you, but I really should head back. Enjoy your thneed—“  
  
“Wait!” Cipher said, her voice cracking a bit as she suddenly stood up as fast as she could. She swallowed, choking on her words just a bit as he stared at her with wide eyes. “Wait... um. Before you go... Where are you staying? How long are you here for—like, I mean, are you staying in town for awhile before heading out or—“  
  
“Oh, um. I'm kinda... taking a permanent residence here from now on.”  
  
Cipher blinked, her eyes widening in both surprise and slight delight. “R-really? So... i-it's not a travelling salesman sorta thing you're doing?”  
  
“Nah. I gotta have more than just one thneed for that and I need a demand for it, I think—I only just found the perfect material for it a few weeks ago.”  
  
“Ah... Well...” She swallowed again, her head tilting down and eyes staring at her socked feet. “C-can I visit you...? If its okay, I mean...”  
  
He smiled.  
  
“Sure. Take the road to North Nitch, left at Weehawken and then a sharp right at South Stitch.”  
  
“I-I'll see you there!” She said a little too loudly, once she had realized that, her face was pratically glowing a bright red. “I... I mean... I-I'll see you later...”  
  
The Onceler lowered his hat over his eyes and faced away from Cipher to hide the flush and most likely a stupid smile as she walked him to the front door. He gave her a wave once he had slipped his shoes back on.  
  
Cipher waved back at him before he slipped out the door, taking care not to close it too roughly. Once it was closed, she pressed herself as close as she could to the door and peeked between the gap in the tightly attached curtain. She swallowed, that bubbly feeling swelling inside her chest as she watched the man walk his mule down the street until she couldn't see either of them anymore.  
  
She knew that she would have to see him soon.


End file.
